Jerusalem is a red line

Israel continues its violations of the sanctity of Jerusalem’s Al Haram Al Sharif compound, which houses Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine to Muslims all over the world, thus escalating its provocations against the entire Arab and Muslim worlds.

These Israeli actions come in violation of the 1994 Jordan-Israel peace treaty that recognises the Kingdom’s custodianship of Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem, as well as international resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw from the lands it grabbed by force in the 1967 war, including Jerusalem.

The most recent violation of the sanctity of the site happened Wednesday morning when 200 Israeli occupation soldiers escorted 154 settlers and members of the Israeli Knesset to the compound, prompting Jordan to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv for consultations.

This latest infringement is but a continuation of similar such steps by Israel, which include incursions by extremists and occupation soldiers, banning worshippers from accessing the mosque and firing tear gas at the compound.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh reiterated at a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Paris that Jerusalem remains a red line for Jordan as the custodian of holy sites in the occupied city, noting that these violations stir “the emotions and the sensitivity of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world”.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said in a statement that the Kingdom will keep all legal and diplomatic options open to deal with the Israeli escalations.

The government asked the Jordanian mission at the United Nations to lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council, as well as to inform the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation about these developments.

The Jordanian reaction can be fully understood, but not the provocative Israeli measures.

It is either that the Israeli government does not realise the seriousness of the issue for Jordan and the Muslim and the Arab worlds, or that it really does not care and is seeking the provocation in order to cause further damage to its ties with the Kingdom, which reached a new low under hardline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tel Aviv is aware of Jordan’s keenness and efforts to breathe life into the moribund peace process and to relaunch the Palestinian-Israeli talks in order to get the two parties to discuss final status issues, which include the issue of Jerusalem. 

Creating problems at Al Aqsa Mosque no doubt serves Israeli aims of staying away from any such talks and perpetuating its occupation of Arab land.

Still, Israelis, and the rest of the world, must realise that Netanyahu’s aims and actions are destructive and playing into the hands of hardliners in both camps.

These hardliners are leaving Jordan, a keen advocate of peace, few options; one is to resort to whatever available legal and diplomatic channels to counter violations in Jerusalem.

However, they will not deter the Kingdom from following its quest to help establish peace in the region.

All that is needed is a reasonable and willing Israeli government which realises that peace is in its interest as much as it is in that of its Arab neighbours.